Change of scenery benefits Chrismon, CNU

Austin Chrismon began to dread baseball practice, which he wouldn't have thought possible. As long as he can remember, he loved practice — the ballyard, the work, the chance to hang with teammates.

But as his sophomore season at East Carolina unfolded, Chrismon was increasingly disenchanted. He played little and, worse, didn't feel as if he were part of a team.

The former Menchville High star left ECU's program without a fallback plan, but had a welcome suitor in Christopher Newport's John Harvell. A change in scenery benefited him and the Captains, as they prepare for this week's USA South Conference tournament.

"I've enjoyed my one year here more than the two years at East Carolina," Chrismon said earlier this week. "ECU is a good program, but if felt like there were a lot of individuals on one team playing for themselves and worrying about their stats and draft position. Here, everybody plays for the team. I really enjoy that."

Chrismon blended seamlessly into the team and has been a standout on one of Division III's better pitching staffs.

"A lot of guys look up to him because of his ability and where he's come from," Harvell said. "But he doesn't carry himself as if he's better than anybody else. He just wants to play and he's fit right in."

The Captains (27-9-1, 18-6 USA South) won the conference by three games and are the favorites going into the tournament. Harvell believes that CNU, ranked eighth in the latest D-III poll, has clinched a berth in the upcoming NCAA tournament, but wants to extend the momentum from winning eight of its last 10 games.

"This is probably the most balanced tournament in the last 8-10 years," Harvell said. "The No. 8 team beat us in the regular season. Even though we're the favorite, it comes down to who's executing best over the next four days."

The Captains lost to eighth-seeded Greensboro in late February, a 2-1 game that illustrated both their strengths and concerns. Chrismon struck out a school-record 18 and gave up only four hits in an eight-inning complete game (doubleheaders have eight-inning games), but the Captains managed just five hits, left 10 on base and committed an error that led to both Greensboro runs.

"I always felt like our pitching would give us a chance to win every game, and it has," Harvell said. "It's just a matter of if we were going to hit the ball."

Chrismon has pitched better than his 6-3 record, which conference coaches recognized when they named him USA South Pitcher of the Year. He has a 1.62 earned run average, with a league-best 75 strikeouts and just nine walks in 66 2/3 innings.

"Austin's had a phenomenal season," Harvell said. "I feel bad for him, because all three of his losses, we didn't hit for him at all."

"I knew CNU has had a lot of success," Chrismon said. "I just wanted to come in and compete for a starting spot. I knew they had a lot of arms coming back and was hoping to get some innings. I wound up being a starter on the weekends. I just go out there and do my best every time and whatever happens, happens."

Chrismon, a 6-foot-3, 230-pound righthander, has a four-pitch repertoire: fastball, curve, slider and changeup. His fastball is consistently in the 86-88 mph range, Harvell said, and tops out in the low 90s. Chrismon said that his slider is his "out" pitch, and he's comfortable throwing it in any count and any situation.

"He's nowhere near what he can be, physically," Harvell said. "I know that sounds ludicrous, with a 1.6 ERA and a ton of strikeouts. But he can be dominant."

Chrismon has thrown more than twice as many innings this season (66 2/3) than his first two years combined at ECU (29 2/3). He said that his arm feels strong and isn't fatigued at all.

But Harvell thinks that this season and an upcoming stint in the Shenandoah Valley summer league will strengthen Chrismon's arm. The upshot would be adding another couple of miles per hour to his fastball, which will make his off-speed pitches that much more effective.

Chrismon's comfort and happiness haven't hurt his development, either. He gets to play on a team with younger brother Garrett and with nearly three dozen guys he considers friends, something he didn't have at ECU.

"I have to say I learned a lot," Chrismon said. "It was a good experience. It wasn't the experience I wanted, but it was a good experience."

He is particularly grateful for the time he spent with ECU associate head coach Dan Roszel, who taught him a great deal about the subtleties of pitching. Though he transferred down a couple of levels, he doesn't think of or prepare himself as if he's slumming.

"There are a lot of good players here," he said. "There are guys who could play D-I — maybe not at LSU or someplace like that — but certainly at a higher level. Maybe they were overlooked or just didn't get the chance."

Chrismon began the season trying to overpower hitters, he said, but now tries to set them up and keep his pitch count low, in order to extend starts and save the bullpen when possible.

He likes the fact that he and the Captains put in their work on the field, but also enjoy the college experience. He is a communications major, which tests him academically more than the recreation and leisure studies track he was on at ECU.

"You don't want to take the easy way out," he said. "You want to challenge yourself. I might not like it right now, but I'll appreciate it later."